With a little ingenuity and effort, much of what we find in
home-decorating
catalogs and design stores can be recreated for
considerably less at home.
Toss in the added benefit of being able to say, "I made this!"
and there appears to be no reason not to try.
The inspiration for this simple craft comes from the pages of
The Company Store catalog: the "Gingham Wall Letters Plaque" in
pink gingham, with coordinating pink ribbon for hanging. The
catalog's sample name, "Molly," requires buying five letters at
$8.50 each. Adding in $7.95 for shipping charges, this particular
name costs $50.45.
The re-creation, while not an exact copy, cost about $12. (This
assumes you have a few of the necessary tools on hand.) All of the
supplies, some of which were on sale, were purchased at a national
crafts store. With oodles of paper and ribbon designs out there,
this project can be altered to fit any room or taste.
You be the judge: Is it worth the savings to do this one
yourself?
The "Molly" Project
(The instructions are written to create the "Molly" name as it
appears in the catalog. Please change the colors, patterns and
sizing to meet your design needs.)
Supplies you'll need:
5 wooden letters, white, 4 by 5 inches
5 wooden plaques, unpainted, 5 by 7 inches
2 sheets of pink gingham scrapbook paper
Pink ribbon (about
1 yard per letter)
White acrylic paint,
2 fl. oz.-size
School glue
Glue gun with sticks
Staple gun with ¼-inch staples
Assembly:
1. Trace the front of the plaque onto the back of the scrapbook
paper. Cut out, then trim the paper to fit on the plaque. You may
want to trim extra paper to allow more of the white, wooden border
to show, as in the sample. Use this as a template and cut out the
other background papers.
2. Paint the wooden plaques, especially the sides and edges,
since these will show.
3. Using the school glue, attach the background paper to the
wooden plaque. Using a clean, white cloth, press firmly to remove
bubbles and wrinkles.
4. Cut two pieces of ribbon, 13 to 15 inches each, for each
plaque.
5. Attach 4 inches of each ribbon to the back of the plaque,
using two staples per ribbon. This gives the ribbon more strength
to hang the plaque. Tie the two ribbons into a bow.
6. Using a heated glue gun, attach the letter to the front of
the plaque. Make sure all the letters are attached at about the
same spot on their respective plaques.
